Atheist Nexus2015-03-31T21:22:11ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnhamhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/XxS6ekofqL0*PdAXl4Smn65ldcW9Fy8jPTK0x23LzlicWGTPXmaEOpBYRaeoKTFuJaVEDvmWjNKSvT9HRUH9XE4gZnAfrLhK/543535991.jpeg?xgip=345%3A191%3A281%3A281%3B%3B&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.atheistnexus.org/group/atheistnews/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=30oz66o95jnkx&feed=yes&xn_auth=noPreviously Unpublished Interview with The Hitchtag:www.atheistnexus.org,2015-02-13:2182797:Topic:25671122015-02-13T20:12:35.195ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>Why Evolution Is True claims to have a <a href="https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/a-new-and-previously-unreleased-interview-with-christopher-hitchens/" target="_blank">2005 interview with Christopher Hitchens</a> that hadn't been previously released.</p>
<p><em>Caveat Emptor</em>: a.) the questions are in Italian, b.) there's three minutes of crap at the beginning.</p>
<p>Why Evolution Is True claims to have a <a href="https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/a-new-and-previously-unreleased-interview-with-christopher-hitchens/" target="_blank">2005 interview with Christopher Hitchens</a> that hadn't been previously released.</p>
<p><em>Caveat Emptor</em>: a.) the questions are in Italian, b.) there's three minutes of crap at the beginning.</p> Humanist Marriage "Demonic?" - Angry Christian Rails Against Humanism — This Atheist’s Polite Response Is Perfecttag:www.atheistnexus.org,2015-02-09:2182797:Topic:25656192015-02-09T14:00:49.135ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>British TV Show <em>The Big Questions </em>showed Discuss Jesus founder Taiwo Adewuyi holding forth hilariously on how "humanist marriage," legal in Scotland but not in England, is demonic. He gets his comeuppance from a very polite and articulate humanist, Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association. Here are some details. </p>
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<blockquote><p>Discuss Jesus founder called humanism "a first-class ticket to the sea of wantonness and debauchery.”<br></br>In the video embedded below,…</p>
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<p>British TV Show <em>The Big Questions </em>showed Discuss Jesus founder Taiwo Adewuyi holding forth hilariously on how "humanist marriage," legal in Scotland but not in England, is demonic. He gets his comeuppance from a very polite and articulate humanist, Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association. Here are some details. </p>
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<blockquote><p>Discuss Jesus founder called humanism "a first-class ticket to the sea of wantonness and debauchery.”<br/>In the video embedded below, U.K. Christian and founder of the group Discuss Jesus Taiwo Adewuyi said that humanist weddings are “demonic” rituals, that secularism is “the Devil’s PR” and nonreligious life is a “first-class ticket to the sea of wantonness and debauchery.”</p>
<p>Adewuyi was appearing on The Big Questions, a British show dedicated to discussions of philosophy, religion and secular society.</p>
<p>He was responding to a U.K. government ruling from December which declined to include humanist weddings among the legal forms of matrimony in the country. Scotland made humanist weddings legal in 2005 and the ceremonies have proven to be immensely popular, currently outnumber Catholic weddings each year.</p>
<p>Host Nicky Campbell presented Adewuyi, who said humanist weddings are “entirely demonic.”</p>
<p>“It all goes back to the origins of humanism,” Adewuyi said. “Humanism is the cancer on thanks-giving. It is the Devil’s PR. It is a first-class ticket to the sea of wantonness and debauchery.”</p>
<p>Humanism, he said, tries to “knock God off the throne” and put mankind at the top instead, which Adewuyi claims is wrong.</p>
<p>Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association responded, “Well, if you’re going to wantonness and debauchery, you might as well travel first class.”</p>
<p>“Humanism,” he explained, “is a nonreligious world view that — instead of looking to revelation or authority, we look to reason and evidence to understand the universe. Instead of looking to moral rules that come from outside human beings, we look to other human beings to generate values in the here and now and also to generate meaning in our life.”</p>
<p>“Instead of looking externally for some meaning to give value and sanction to the existence we’re having, the humanist view is that men and women in the course of our lives create the sustained meaning together,” Copson said.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.alternet.org/belief/angry-christian-rails-against-humanism-atheists-polite-response-perfect" target="_blank">Watch the video, embedded below:</a></p>
</blockquote> Lawsuit: State trooper preached about Jesus during traffic stop (Indystar.com)tag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-10-07:2182797:Topic:24855702014-10-07T17:59:11.292ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>I am just going to get out of the way of this one ... though when I saw the headline on <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/06/1334731/-Indiana-state-trooper-pulls-woman-over-and-asks-do-you-accept-Jesus-Christ-as-your-savior?detail=email" target="_blank">The Daily Kos</a>, my immediate reaction was, Say WHAT?!?<br></br><br></br><br></br>==============================<br></br><br></br><br></br></p>
<p>Ellen Bogan expects police to protect and serve — not proselytize.</p>
<p>But she says Indiana State…</p>
<p>I am just going to get out of the way of this one ... though when I saw the headline on <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/06/1334731/-Indiana-state-trooper-pulls-woman-over-and-asks-do-you-accept-Jesus-Christ-as-your-savior?detail=email" target="_blank">The Daily Kos</a>, my immediate reaction was, Say WHAT?!?<br/><br/><br/>==============================<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p>Ellen Bogan expects police to protect and serve — not proselytize.</p>
<p>But she says Indiana State Police Trooper Brian Hamilton pitched Christianity to her when he pulled her over for an alleged traffic violation in August on U.S. 27 in Union County.</p>
<p>With the lights on his marked police car still flashing, the trooper handed Bogan a warning ticket. Then, Bogan said, Hamilton posed some personal questions.</p>
<p>Did she have a home church?</p>
<p>Did she accept Jesus Christ as her savior?</p>
<p>"It's completely out of line and it just — it took me aback," Bogan, 60, told The Indianapolis Star.</p>
<p>Bogan and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana have filed a lawsuit in federal court against Hamilton. The lawsuit alleges he violated Bogan's First and Fourth Amendment rights when he probed into her religious background and handed her a church pamphlet that asks the reader "to acknowledge that she is a sinner."</p>
<p>State Police spokesman Capt. David Bursten confirmed that State Police received notice about the lawsuit in late September but said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.</p>
<p>Calls to a home number listed for Hamilton were not returned.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/10/05/lawsuit-state-trooper-preached-jesus-traffic-stop/16678275/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> CBS bans ad for separation of church and statetag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-10-01:2182797:Topic:24825822014-10-01T16:24:26.103ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p><a href="http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/cbs_bans_atheist_group_s_ad_advocating_for_separation_of_church_and_state" target="_blank">CBS Bans Atheist Group's Ad Advocating For Separation Of Church And State</a></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>CBS has refused to air a 30-second spot featuring Ron Reagan, that asks for viewers to support the Freedom From Religion Foundation.</strong></p>
<p>Ron Reagan recorded a simple 30-second ad for the…</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/cbs_bans_atheist_group_s_ad_advocating_for_separation_of_church_and_state" target="_blank">CBS Bans Atheist Group's Ad Advocating For Separation Of Church And State</a></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>CBS has refused to air a 30-second spot featuring Ron Reagan, that asks for viewers to support the Freedom From Religion Foundation.</strong></p>
<p>Ron Reagan recorded a simple 30-second ad for the <a href="http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/tags/Freedom_From_Religion_Foundation"><strong>Freedom From Religion Foundation</strong></a> (FFRF). In it, the liberal political analyst and son of the former President says he is "an unabashed atheist," and "alarmed by the intrusion of religion into our secular government."</p>
<p>Reagan asks viewers "to support the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the nation's largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate, just like our Founding Fathers intended."</p>
<p>The FFRF asked CBS to air the ad on its flagship "60 Minutes" news show, or any CBS TV show.</p>
<p>They refused.</p>
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<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7INIhD9P0Pw?feature=player_embedded&amp;wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p> Anti-Islam ads coming to NYC buses, subways (CBS News)tag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-09-20:2182797:Topic:24780632014-09-20T11:45:28.976ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>NEW YORK -- Anti-Islamic ads will begin appearing on a hundred New York City buses and at two subway entrances next week.</p>
<p>The six ads include an image of American journalist James Foley, just before he was beheaded, standing next to his masked executioner.</p>
<p>The ads are paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative run by anti-Islam blogger Pamela Geller. She says the campaign tells truths about Islam and jihad that the U.S. government and mainstream media…</p>
<p>NEW YORK -- Anti-Islamic ads will begin appearing on a hundred New York City buses and at two subway entrances next week.</p>
<p>The six ads include an image of American journalist James Foley, just before he was beheaded, standing next to his masked executioner.</p>
<p>The ads are paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative run by anti-Islam blogger Pamela Geller. She says the campaign tells truths about Islam and jihad that the U.S. government and mainstream media ignore.</p>
<p>"Our organization has created this campaign in order to educate people about Jihad," Geller told 1010 WINS. "I don't think the truth is controversial. I think we're entering a very dangerous period and I don't think the American people should be disarmed in the information battle space."</p>
<p>All the ads feature a disclaimer that says the viewpoints are not endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.</p>
<p>Under a federal court ruling, the agency is required to run viewpoint ads. But the MTA requires a disclaimer.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-subways-buses-getting-anti-islam-ads/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br/><br/><br/>================================<br/><br/><br/>All things considered, I don't know that I'm very surprised that these ads have shown up. What I wonder about is whether the AFDI would entertain the idea of "equal time" - you know, for christians who shoot abortion doctors or Orthodox Jews who want to insist that a certain patch of land on the east end of the Mediterranean is THEIR turf and no one else's.<br/><br/>Or do we have to rely on David Silverman for the fair and balanced approach?!?</p> Pennsylvania teen faces two years in jail for Facebook photo of "desecration"tag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-09-11:2182797:Topic:24734502014-09-11T22:50:51.424ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/oral-sex-jesus-statue-photo_n_5805174.html" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/jk1qJfh5Fa47mSrLtUOpXDitLHeOVAPOX3Av6Y1J9BijzStJWSeGNLBAaTDYHLd8xhpMOm*k4BUxHq2UnvORu-WROFrTaO7f/BJJesusPAdesecrationblurredsm.jpg" width="188"></img></a> A 14-year-old in Everett, <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Pennsyltucky</span> Pennsylvania has been charged with "Desecration of a Venerated Object" and faces up to two years in a juvenile facility after posting this photo on Facebook.…</p>
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<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/oral-sex-jesus-statue-photo_n_5805174.html"><img class="align-right" src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/jk1qJfh5Fa47mSrLtUOpXDitLHeOVAPOX3Av6Y1J9BijzStJWSeGNLBAaTDYHLd8xhpMOm*k4BUxHq2UnvORu-WROFrTaO7f/BJJesusPAdesecrationblurredsm.jpg" width="188"/></a>A 14-year-old in Everett, <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Pennsyltucky</span> Pennsylvania has been charged with "Desecration of a Venerated Object" and faces up to two years in a juvenile facility after posting this photo on Facebook.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/oral-sex-jesus-statue-photo_n_5805174.html" target="_blank"><strong>Teen May Get 2 Years For Pic Of Fake Oral Sex With Jesus (PHOTO)</strong></a> [HuffPost]</p>
<p>The relevant [?] state law [which has no place in a <em>secular</em> government that purports to uphold freedom of expression!] defines "desecration" as "Defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise, physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2014/09/two-years-for-taking-a-blowjob-pic-with-a-jesus-statue-is-ludicrous/" target="_blank">JT Eberhard at WWJTD notes</a>:</p>
<p style="color: #111111;"><em>So let’s say an adult (subject to harsher penalties than minors) elected to spray paint “Jesus loves dicks” on the side of this boy’s school. That guy, at most (... for people with previous criminal records ...), would serve a year in jail – and that’s assuming the cost of having the wall re-painted exceeds $150 ...</em></p>
<p style="color: #111111;"><em>But a 14 year-old does something stupid that causes literally <strong>zero property damage</strong> and <strong>he could face two years</strong> in juvenile jail <strong>because it’s a “venerated object”?</strong> <strong>That’s insane.</strong> That’s really ludicrous.</em></p>
<p style="color: #111111;"><em>If he had spray-painted the statue, I’d be all for charging him. If he had done any damage, he should be punished in accordance with the damage done. Hell, I even think a slap on the wrist for trespassing could be appropriate. But fucking with a kid’s life for being immature ... is <strong>petty, vindictive bullshit.</strong> <strong>This law about venerated objects needs to be challenged and unmade</strong>, and I hope this case can be a vehicle for that.</em></p>
<p><span style="color: #808080;" class="font-size-1">(ellipses and emphases mine)</span></p> Atheist Philanthropist Makes $10,000 Donation to Support Right Wing Watch Blogtag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-08-01:2182797:Topic:24536992014-08-01T13:38:43.425ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>People For the American Way and Right Wing Watch do critical work uncovering the vicious language the Right uses to attack anyone whose religious beliefs differ from their own — especially those with no religious belief at all, particularly atheists.…</p>
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<p>People For the American Way and Right Wing Watch do critical work uncovering the vicious language the Right uses to attack anyone whose religious beliefs differ from their own — especially those with no religious belief at all, particularly atheists.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/07/31/atheist-philanthropist-makes-10000-donation-to-support-right-wing-watch-blog/" target="_blank">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/07/31/atheist-philanthropist-makes-10000-donation-to-support-right-wing-watch-blog/</a></p>
<div style="overflow: hidden; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"></div> S.E. Cupp: I’m a ‘Better’ Atheist than Bill Mahertag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-07-31:2182797:Topic:24533252014-07-31T14:13:06.360ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>In a new online video for <em>Crossfire</em> the pundit makes the claim that conservative atheists are actually “better” than liberal ones,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/s-e-cupp-im-a-better-atheist-than-bill-maher/" target="_blank">http://www.mediaite.com/tv/s-e-cupp-im-a-better-atheist-than-bill-maher/</a></p>
<p>In a new online video for <em>Crossfire</em> the pundit makes the claim that conservative atheists are actually “better” than liberal ones,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/s-e-cupp-im-a-better-atheist-than-bill-maher/" target="_blank">http://www.mediaite.com/tv/s-e-cupp-im-a-better-atheist-than-bill-maher/</a></p> Atheist TV Officially Launches; David Silverman Criticizes History Channel for Presenting Bible as Historytag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-07-31:2182797:Topic:24533212014-07-31T14:08:36.330ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>The world's first ever all-atheist TV channel officially launched Tuesday, with American Atheist president David Silverman declaring it is geared toward all atheists, everywhere.…</p>
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<p>The world's first ever all-atheist TV channel officially launched Tuesday, with American Atheist president David Silverman declaring it is geared toward all atheists, everywhere.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheist-tv-officially-launches-david-silverman-criticizes-history-channel-for-presenting-bible-as-history-124097/" target="_blank">http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheist-tv-officially-launches-david-silverman-criticizes-history-channel-for-presenting-bible-as-history-124097/</a></p> On this day in history - July 30th, 1956tag:www.atheistnexus.org,2014-07-30:2182797:Topic:24527022014-07-30T14:27:38.757ZAlex Barnhamhttp://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/AlexBarnham
<p>On this day in history - July 30th, 1956 - "In God We Trust" is adopted as the official motto of the United States.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wdam.com/story/26148463/on-this-day-in-history-july-30th-1956" target="_blank">http://www.wdam.com/story/26148463/on-this-day-in-history-july-30th-1956</a></p>
<p>On this day in history - July 30th, 1956 - "In God We Trust" is adopted as the official motto of the United States.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wdam.com/story/26148463/on-this-day-in-history-july-30th-1956" target="_blank">http://www.wdam.com/story/26148463/on-this-day-in-history-july-30th-1956</a></p>